The 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service experience.

The 23andMe experience is designed to be user-friendly. Individuals interested in viewing their health and ancestry through the lens of their personal genetics use a home-based saliva collection kit to provide their saliva sample. In exchange, they receive access to more than 125 genetic reports through a private and secure online account from the comfort of their homes.

How it works

Obtain and register a kit.

Customers purchase their kits online at 23andMe.com or through one of our authorized retailers without medical requisition. They have the option of two different services: 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service ($199) or 23andMe Ancestry Service ($99). Prior to purchasing the Health + Ancestry Service, they are provided with important test information.

Customers create their accounts and register their kits. They are able to consent to participate in research, to allow 23andMe to store their sample and to opt-in to receive Genetic Health Risk reports. They are required to complete an educational module prior to viewing their results. Sensitive reports, such as Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants), require additional opt-ins. Customers are encouraged to speak with their healthcare providers or meet with a genetic counselor prior to testing.

Submit saliva sample.

Customers submit saliva samples from their homes by following a simple set of step-by-step instructions. 23andMe’s DNA collection kit is FDA-cleared for use with our Genetic Health Risk* and Carrier Status* reports and manufactured in accordance with FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations.

The saliva sample is mailed to the lab in pre-paid packaging. All samples are processed using using a leading technology to genotype your DNA – a custom version of the lllumina Global Screening Array. This technology allows the identification of specific genetic variants that can be informative about the customer’s health and ancestry.

Wellness

Traits

Explore results.

Depending on which service they have selected, customers can gain access to more than 125 interactive reports*, online tools (Inheritance Tracing, Share and Compare and DNA Relatives), education modules and other helpful resources, including the 23andMe Customer Care team.

Customers are encouraged to share their results with their healthcare provider. It may be advisable under certain circumstances to refer patients to a genetic counselor. They can also locate a genetic counselor near them through the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Genetic counselors can help navigate common questions, such as:

What can be learned from genetic testing?

What are the risks and benefits of genetic testing?

Are there diseases that run in the family that would make this test or another genetic test more appropriate?

Participate in research.

80% of our customers choose to participate in 23andMe research by answering online survey questions. On average, a customer who opts in to research contributes to more than 200 studies on topics that include behavior, cancer, dermatology, hematology, immunology, musculoskeletal, neurology, psychiatry, reproduction and rare disease. By participating in online surveys and allowing researchers to combine their aggregated, de-identified genetic data with over 2 billion other data points, customers can help drive scientific and medical discoveries forward. See our list of publications here.

We also collaborate with leading researchers in academia and pharma from around the world to improve understanding of the underlying genetics of certain diseases, which could lead to better diagnostics and treatments. Our research communities have included lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, fertility, pain and major depressive/bipolar disorders. See our current community research efforts here.

*The 23andMe PGS test includes health predisposition and carrier status reports. Health predisposition reports include both reports that meet FDA requirements for genetic health risks and the 23andMe Type 2 Diabetes health predisposition report which is based on 23andMe research and has not been reviewed by FDA. The test uses qualitative genotyping to detect clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks and reporting carrier status. The relevance of each report varies based on ethnicity. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if an individual has two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell an individual anything about risk for developing a disease in the future or anything about the health of a fetus, or newborn child’s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. These reports are intended to provide genetic information that can be used to inform lifestyle decisions and conversations with healthcare professionals, but are not intended to diagnose disease, determine medical treatment or medical intervention including whether to take a medication or how much of a medication to take, or tell the user anything about their current state of health. Any diagnostic or treatment decisions must be based on confirmatory prescription testing and/or other information that you determine to be appropriate for your patient, such as additional clinical testing and other risk factors that may affect individual risk and health care. Warnings & Limitations: The 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) is indicated for reporting of the 185delAG and 5382insC variants in the BRCA1 gene and the 6174delT variant in the BRCA2 gene. The report describes if a woman is at increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and if a man is at increased risk of developing breast cancer or may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The three variants included in this report are most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and do not represent the majority of BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in the general population. This report does not include variants in other genes linked to hereditary cancers and the absence of variants included in this report does not rule out the presence of other genetic variants that may impact cancer risk. The PGS test is not a substitute for visits to a healthcare professional for recommended screenings or appropriate follow-up. Results should be confirmed in a clinical setting before taking any medical action.